Olympics 2026: Geiger collapses in Nordic combined final

Vinzenz Geiger had a strong position after the normal‑hill jump and looked like a contender for another Olympic medal — but he dramatically faded on the final lap of the Nordic combined race at the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Games. The German faded about 1.8 kilometres from the finish and could not follow the decisive move.

Norwegian Jens Luraas Oftebro took the gold ahead of Austria’s Johannes Lamparter (+1.0s) and Finland’s Eero Hirvonen (+2.5s). The result was a high‑quality show for Nordic combined, staged in front of IOC President Kirsty Coventry.

Geiger finished 10th, 1:52 behind the winner. Of the three German starters the best result came from Johannes Rydzek, who placed eighth (+1:09.4). Julian Schmid finished 14th (+2:56). Geiger described himself as exhausted in the mixed zone and said he had not felt fully fit since Seefeld; he could not point to a definite reason for his lack of form and said he would recover before the next events.

After the jump from the Predazzo normal hill Geiger had recorded 98 metres and started the cross‑country in the leading chase group with a modest time deficit; the jump winner was Kristjan Ilves of Estonia (99 m). Rydzek jumped 97 m and Schmid 100 m (Schmid’s longest of the German trio, but with lower style marks and less wind compensation).

On the 10 km course in Tesero Geiger quickly formed part of a nine‑man chase group. Snow conditions were heavy because of warm weather, making the track more taxing than typical World Cup loops. The field stayed relatively close until the final lap when Oftebro, Lamparter and Hirvonen pushed away — Geiger slowed almost to a stop on a long climb and could not respond. Ultimately Oftebro, Lamparter and Hirvonen contested the podium.

German head coach Eric Frenzel had been confident about his athletes’ endurance on the demanding Tesero circuit (each 2.5 km lap includes about 105 m of ascent), but the result underlined how select and punishing the course was under race conditions.

For Geiger this day was a tough reminder that his PyeongChang 2022 triumph — when he recovered from a mid‑race deficit and won in a final sprint — would not be repeated in Italy. He and the German team will regroup and aim to recover energy and form for the rest of the Olympic program.